At the risk of being told I should have bought a Ruger,
here's my "Oh boy, I got a new gun" post. I've been told
that its mandatory to do so. Sorry, no pictures as it
won't work for me here anymore.

After 4 months paying a couple C notes here, a couple C
notes there, and selling a musical instrument, I managed
to get the 1979 M-28 out of layaway. Yes, I don't have
the luxury of money anytime I want it.

Light holster wear. No nicks or scratches. About 95%
condition. Safariland "gripper" style grips. Original
grips missing. No box. Bore and chambers filthy and
copper encrusted. Took some time to remove it. Bore is
without pitting thankfully and appears the last owner was
one of those "I don't clean my guns cuz I shoot smokeless
ammo and jacketed bullets" style moron. But apparently he
didn't have it long enough to cause any harm.

Weapon shoots well. Two hand hold at 15m produced tight
groups low right. Adjustments made and it was centered
out to 25m with no issues. Yeah, I can really shoot DA
revolvers very well, even in spite of the stroke.

Happy I got it. Didn't have a .357Mag revolver and wanted
one. Been searching for a 4" M28 for years. Carried one
for 15 years in patrol and mounted divisions. Never ever
felt unarmed like with those puny peashooter 9mm.

Got out my old patrol rig. Black basketweave with Don
Hume Jordan Border Patrol Holster and HKS speed loaders.
Hitched it up and it was like shaking hands with an old
friend.

__________________"I am not politically correct. I don't apologise for being American. I stand by my country and have no use for anyone who does not."

Sold the M28-2 6" some time last year.
Still have the 4" M28-2 that is nickel plated.
But the best is my M27 50th anniversary M27 5".
Can't beat that one as far as I'm concerned! If Skeeter though a 5" .357 was the best, well, who am I to think other wise!

Yup, sold my faithful old 28 4" that rode with me for
ages. Then some years later I wanted another to replace
it. Only took a couple decades to find one. Could've
kicked myself a dozen times over for selling my last one.
Big mistake. Worse than selling my '68 Ford, my '64
Gibson SG, or being married 3 times! Best revolver on the
planet in my book!

In police work, lightweight weapons are often sought for
ease a carry. Especially in plain clothes detective work.
But in uniform patrol work where the weapon runs the very
real chance or being used in combat, a strong heavy
weapon is a real boon to the officer's survival. That
tank-like quality becomes a genuine plus.

Ability to absorb punishment is far greater with an N
frame Smith. Lighter revolvers go out of time more
easily. They're more susceptible to impact damage whereas
the N frame takes the bump with little if any signs of
the incident. The common "Running Drop" where an officer
is running at full speed most often, and his pistol
literally will "pop" out of the holster only to be seen
by the weapon out running you along the ground! Lightweight guns get bent yokes, hammers chipped or
broken and the like. The N frame aside from "road rash"
might suffer a broken or bent rear sight blade or
possibly a cracked grip if of wood.

Best part is when double action shooting, the massive
cylinder develops it's own inertia which actually assists
in it's rotation. Much like a gyro. And the added frame
weight keeps the weapon steady for greater accuracy.
Believe me the N frame is a speed shooters friend.

Yeah, I like a revolver that's built for anything and
simply keeps on going no matter what. I think only an
anti-tank round could stop an N frame S&W.

And while its below 85° this morning I've got a date at
the plate. I wanna ring some iron!!

__________________"I am not politically correct. I don't apologise for being American. I stand by my country and have no use for anyone who does not."

Interesting. A while back I posted about a sherriff's gun who was killed back in the '40s in our courthouse here, pretty sure it's one of the big frame .38/44s they used to make. I guess they were pretty well favored by guys who had to depend on them.

__________________"The secret to happiness is freedom, and the secret to freedom is courage."

I carried a model 28 for a short time, but I went back to a K frame 65. It wasn't about frame size, even though lighter guns are faster on the draw, it was about the fixed sights and stainless steel construction. I don't care that much for the .357 magnum cartridge, but I still prefer an N frame in a larger caliber over anything else for defensive use.

Not only are N frames durable, they also used to be well balanced until the competition shooters started to influence S&W's marketing, but the style the 28's were based off of were top of the line.

Well, I had to go look. My 38/44 outdoorsman has no model numbe as
does my model 28. The M27 is marked as m27.

Interesting thing is I like the Outdoorsman quite at. Someone called his
M28 a tank? Try the Outdoorsman. A 6.5" barrel N frame sixgun
chambered to the .38 Spl. How cool is that? All original except for the
grips. These days I just shoot .38 Spl. target wadcutters from it. Just
like shooting a .22. My first revolver years ago was another
Outdoorsman and I loaded it up to full 38/44 power ammo which does
kind of snap at the heels of the .357 mag. I used it to kill a Black Bear
back in 1959. We'll just say it was an emergency and let it go at that.
Very sorry I ever let it go.

Had a 4" M28 probably around 1960 but was signed Highway
patrolman and no model number. damned sorry I ever let that one go.
as well.

Current M28 is another no model number gun with 6" barrel.
Somebody had it refinished with something that looks like dark grey
parkerizing. Couple of spot on the barrel looked like they might have
had blood splash on the gun prior to refinishing. Very very accurate
with my hand load, 14.0 gr. 2400/156 gr. cast SWC with gas check. It
was the gun I usually used when doing shooting demonstrations on
Hunter Ed range day. That gun actually makes me look good.

My M27 is a real showpiece with is't very high polish blue job. trigger
and hammer are chrome plated. It has an action and trigger job to die
for and is even more accurate than the M28, if that can even be
possible.

My M629 is an enigma. Very accurate with Elmer's old .44 mag. load
but the gun can't take it. It shot loose in the first 250 rounds. Wet back
to S&W and they fixed it. Two hundred rounds later it had to go back
again. It's been sitting in the safe ever since.

Seems all my double action revolvers are Smith's with the exception of
two Ruger Redhawk .44 magnums. One a 5.5" the other 7.5". Now
those are what I would call tanks, Shermans at least. I don't have a
Super Redhawks in any flavor but the ones I have held are in the M-1
Abrams class tanks. Both type Redhawks need wheels. But, they are
hell for stout.
Paul B.

Did ease out before the 90° plus temps started.
Sat in the dirt at the 50m Mark in the shade and fired 18
rounds at the 10" plate. Rang it for 15. Not bad for an
arthritic semi-crippled old man.

This one's just as good as my old duty piece. Same year
model too. How 'bout that? May have cost far more
than I wanted to spend, but beggers can't be choosers I
guess. No stakes here for awhile. Gonna be Balogna or
grilled cheese sandwiches for a few weeks or more.

__________________"I am not politically correct. I don't apologise for being American. I stand by my country and have no use for anyone who does not."

Could do it with this M28 for sure there Guy! Got more
trigger time with one of these than any other handgun,
even the 1911A1! And you're right about enjoying
this revolver. Just finished doing my famous action job
on it. So smooth now its ridiculous! nice

__________________"I am not politically correct. I don't apologise for being American. I stand by my country and have no use for anyone who does not."

Sorry about that. It was meant to be disparaging. My point was they're
too damn heavy. Note that I said, "They need wheels." Fact of the matter
I just may trade them off for something I'd rather have come the next
gun show. Feel better now? Paul B.

Ohhhh, I was messing with the guys that carry on about
Rugers like they were forged on Mt Olympus! Why I'd never even mention that all but two I've ever
owned weren't worthy of being trotline weights. I did have a good old 3 screw Blackhawk in 357 long ago.
And a 2 3/4 ss Speedsix. Those that followed, based upon
heaps of recommendations should have been thrown onto
heaps. Scrapheaps!

As one of my young surfer troops at the PD used to say:
"Smith & Wesson Rules! Ruger drools!" Kowabunga Dude! [que Dick Dale surf music!]

Please note, no animals were harmed, injured, or killed
in the process of drafting this post. However, Some
people may find it offencive with references to
California surfing and other such ridiculous activities.
The management apologizes for any reference to the Left
Coast.

__________________"I am not politically correct. I don't apologise for being American. I stand by my country and have no use for anyone who does not."

Nice choice Wade. I always liked the 4 inch M-28. I never got one, but I
shot many. I do have a 6 inch model that I picked up years ago when
the PD sold and auctioned surplus weapons. Trigger pull is much like
yours, nice crisp SA, with a stiff DA.

My favorite load in this 6 inch N frame is a 358477 and 6.7 grains of
Unique. It shoots real well with 158 gr. jacketed and 2400 too.

Never carried a M-28 as a duty firearm, but a lot of guys did. I was
talked into getting a model 13. I was told, "kid those large frames are
too heavy for someone who is going to do a lot of walking."

What powder are you using with the 357446? That bullet looks good
too. Not familiar with it, but it the profile reminds me of a .357 version
of the 45-270-SAA.

Ah yes, the 357446. It was developed by Lyman for the
.357Mag. Reason was the 358429 crimped in the crimping
groove was too long and stuck out of the cylinder! Oops!
Reckon that's what happens with Elmer's big bullet theory
meets a magnum case in a Smith! So Lyman designed a SWC that fit the 357 case in a S&W
with a thick base and two great lube grooves. As Rex will
agree, the 357446 is a remarkably accurate bullet in the
357. I've been shooting it for ages. The 357446 has been
around since 1940 and was discontinued in 1983. Moulds
can be found today, but ya gotta do some lookin'

Powder used to be 2400 until it vanished, or Unique.
Today Universal or TiteGroup do nicely with less soot.
I'm really fond of TiteGroup in most of my handguns these
days. Clean, economical, and accurate.

Edited by Old Ranger on July 20 2018 at 9:32pm

__________________"I am not politically correct. I don't apologise for being American. I stand by my country and have no use for anyone who does not."

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